Given the growing interdependence of the world, programs in world affairs education must be more broadly defined. Presently educational institutions in the United States do not reflect the urgencies of modern international coping. The greatest inadequacy prevails in foreign language preparation. Academic imperatives include instituting and expanding language and area study programs, placing the participant in the center of the learning experience, and bringing together conflicting points of view within a community. Although the Federal government can respond to the problem by placing it on the national agenda and providing modest financial support, no change will take place unless citizens perceive international affairs as a local responsibility. Finally, while interdependence could prove to be a brutal and even mortal phenomenon for our civilization, effective action is within our capacities. (Author/KC)